Holloman trying to follow in Ratliff’s footsteps as late-round gem from SEC

GLENDALE, Ariz. – After watching rookie linebacker DeVonte Holloman notch acrobatic interceptions in two of their first three preseason games, the Dallas Cowboys are starting to think they might have found something in the sixth-round pick from South Carolina.

“Yes. Yes, we are,” owner Jerry Jones said after watching Holloman keep Arizona out of the end zone with a diving interception of a Drew Stanton pass at the 2-yard line late in the first half of Saturday’s 12-7 loss.

“That was a great play, a great play, he made on that ball,” Jones added. “Not only an athletic play but a timely play.”

Holloman seems to always be around the ball making impressive plays. In the preseason-opening 24-20 win over Miami, he picked off a deflected pass with a twisting, finger-tip grab and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown.

And also in the second quarter Saturday, he recorded a strip sack of Stanton that Dallas recovered. But replay showed the ball came loose on a an incomplete pass, negating the gem.

Still, Holloman’s pick was the play of the game for a defense that prevented Arizona from scoring a touchdown on five possessions inside the Dallas 20, including four times in the first half.

“We saw that in college coming out,” coach Jason Garrett said of Holloman’s playmaking ability. “We saw that, really, throughout (offseason workouts) and training camp. He’s got a nose for it. He’s an athletic guy who can make those difference-making plays.”

Holloman moved from safety to linebacker his senior year at South Carolina. He amassed seven career interceptions for the Gamecocks, many of which came when they desperately needed a big play.

And great hands. In an interview with the Dallas Morning News after Saturday’s game, safety Will Allen dubbed the rookie “Hands Holloman.”

“He’s going to be a good player for us,” Allen said.

The last time Dallas selected a defender from the Southeastern Conference late in the draft they hit it big with defensive lineman Jay Ratliff. Nabbed in the seventh round in 2005, the Auburn alumnus made trips to the Pro Bowl four times.

While it remains to be seen if he can have as big an impact as Ratliff has, no one can deny Holloman is off to an impressive start.

“It seems like he comes up at the right time,” Jones said. “He looks like he’s thinking about and expecting to make a play like that (the interception against Arizona) to stop them. So, yes, we are real impressed.”